Stuffed Kohlrabi in Tomato Broth

From the garden

• 8 medium kohlrabi, peeled and hollowed, flesh reserved · tennis-ball size is ideal, and the scooped flesh goes into the broth
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup fresh mint or parsley, chopped · half in the filling, half at the end

From the pantry

• 1 lb ground beef · ground lamb is the traditional choice
• ½ cup long-grain white rice, rinsed · uncooked; it cooks inside the bulbs
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can crushed canned tomatoes · 14-oz can
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon · the quiet warm note behind most Levantine stuffings
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon, half juiced, half cut into wedges
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Peel the kohlrabi deeply, well past the fibrous layer under the skin, then hollow each bulb with a melon baller or a narrow spoon, leaving walls about a quarter inch thick. Chop the scooped flesh and set it aside for the broth.
2. Mix the filling: ground beef, rinsed rice, onion, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, half the herbs, a teaspoon of salt, and plenty of black pepper. Work it together lightly and keep it loose, since the rice needs room to swell.
3. Pack each shell about three-quarters full and no further. The rice roughly doubles as it cooks, and a bulb stuffed to the brim will split along its side in the pot.
4. Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat and stir the tomato paste for a minute until it darkens. Add the crushed tomatoes, the reserved chopped flesh, 2 cups of water, and a good pinch of salt.
5. Nestle the bulbs upright in the broth, hollow-side up, so the liquid comes halfway up their sides. Cover and simmer gently 40 to 45 minutes, until a knife slides through a bulb with no resistance and the filling reaches 160°F.
6. Finish with the lemon juice and the rest of the herbs, then rest 10 minutes off the heat. Serve two bulbs per bowl with plenty of broth spooned over and lemon wedges alongside.